Photo Courtesy of Ali Edwards

In 1999, a group of California-based foundations came together to explore the challenges facing the current industrialized food system and to discover a means to maximize the impact of their investments in pursuit of a healthier system. In 2000, they commissioned and released Roots of Change: Agriculture, Ecology, and Health in California, a report that consolidated information from policy makers, farmers, scientists, and activists, as well as data from numerous state agencies. The report made the case that multiple environmental, social, and economic problems in California can be addressed simultaneously by a comprehensive transition to a sustainable food system.

ROC funded the Vivid Picture Project, which developed The New Mainstream: A Sustainable Food Agenda for California. This report, issued in December 2005, described a vision for the food system in 2030 and a suggested set of actions for getting there.

Today

Concurrently, ROC supported leadership development projects through grants to expand county-level Ag Futures Alliances that bring together regional stakeholders to support the growth of sustainable food systems in their counties, and to a statewide roundtable called the California Roundtable on Agriculture and the Environment. Additionally, ROC’s Workforce Workgroup and Business Advisory Council provided action items for labor and business innovation.

These projects have reached over 1000 people and built meaningful links to state and local governments, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and communities.